Pot au Pho – a dish celebrates the connection between Vietnamese national dish, phở, and French cuisine, hence the name which is adapt from French iconic dish Pot-au-feu.

HCM CITY —  A Vietnamese restaurant has been named among the 50 best in Asia.

The Anan Saigon, a restaurant that turns street food flavours into contemporary creations, was named Viet Nam's best restaurant in 2021 and 39th in Asia by the website theworlds50best.com on the 'Asia's 50 Best Restaurants' list.

The restaurant, named for the Vietnamese words "ăn ăn", meaning ‘eat eat’, is located in Chợ Cũ, the oldest wet market in the centre of HCM City along Tôn Thất Đạm Street.

The Anan Saigon was founded by Peter Cường Franklin, a Vietnamese-American chef who studied at Le Cordon Bleu and trained at world-famous restaurants including Caprice in Hong Kong, Alinea in Chicago and Nahm in Bangkok.

‘One Bite Phở’ is a distillation of Việt Nam’s iconic national dish into one single bite. Photo courtesy of Anan Saigon

A pioneer of modern Vietnamese and Asian cuisine, Franklin takes inspiration from Việt Nam’s vibrant food culture and uses fresh ingredients from local markets while incorporating French culinary techniques.

The chef said his true inspiration is his mother, who ran a small noodle shop in Đà Lạt City in Lam Dong Province.

Chef Peter Cường Franklin, who studied at Le Cordon Bleu and trained at world-famous restaurants.

His signature dishes at Anan Saigon include ‘Caviar Bánh Nhúng’ which is inspired by a traditional waffle cake found at street food markets in Việt Nam, combined with a classic French tart preparation. The tart shell is replaced with a light and crispy Vietnamese rosette pastry made from rice flour and egg, topped with salmon caviar, smoked salmon and crème fraiche.

‘One Bite Phở’ is a distillation of Việt Nam’s iconic national dish into one single bite. The molecular creation features black truffle and wagyu beef in a sphere of phở broth.

Huế Ravioli Foie gras & Wagyu. — Photos courtesy of Anan Saigon

The ‘Huế Ravioli Foie gras & Wagyu’ is inspired by the iconic Huế dish – bánh bột lọc (Huế-styled transparent dumpling cake), but presents the rich flavour of slow-cooked beef cheek, shredded and mixed into a fine paste of foie gras.

The 'Asia's 50 Best Restaurants' list was created by Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants Academy, a group of more than 300 leaders in the restaurant industry across Asia.

This year, the list was revealed through a virtual awards ceremony streamed on Facebook and YouTube at the end of March.

The publication of this year’s list aims to support the region’s restaurant scene by recognising as many great restaurants as possible across Asia.

In addition to Anan Saigon, T.U.N.G Dining in Hà Nội was named in the 51-100 list.  

Inspried by Nordic fine dining, T.U.N.G Dining has brought a fresh breeze into the culinary scene of Hà Nội with their creative dishes using seasonal Vietnamese ingredients. — VNS